Balanced power scooter



July 19, 1932. w, v, VAN ETTEN 1,867,687

BALANCED POWER SCOOTER Filed Sept. 13, 1930 INVENTOR, Wm? PM. 6 m %w Qom/w,

ATTORNEY.

Patented July 19, 1932 UNITED STATES reams? PATENT WILLIAM v. van E'ITEN, or BELLIN HAM, WASHINGTON BALANCED rowan sooo'rnn" Application filed September 13,1930. Serial'No. 431,667.

My invention relates to improvements in balanced power scooters and has for an object 7 is a side elevation of my new scooter, Fig. 2

is a plan view of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the combined pinion gear and ratchet wheel, Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the gear housing and rack guide, Fig. 5 is a front elevation of Fig. 4 and Fig. 6 is a rear elevation of the driving wheel with the ratchet wheel in place therein; 7 V

Similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout. Certain parts are broken away to show other parts hidden thereby.

With -more particular reference to the designated parts: The machine frame consists principally of side bars 7 7 which are spread apart-in the main body of the machine and approach each'other at the front end thereof where they are fastened to h1g8 of a head block eye which is pivotally joined with bracket 9 by pin 10. Bracket 9 is fastened to steering-wheel bars 11, 11 the upperends of which are fastened to handle bar 12 the lowerends'engage'front aXle 13 on whichis 'mounted front wheel 14 for revolution.

Rear axle 15 is engaged by the rear ends of frame bars 7 7 and on the axle are mounted rear wheelsal? and 17 for revolution, the former of which is simply a vehicle-wheel but the latter is the driving wheel; I Bottom plate 16 is fastened on frame bars 7 and on rear axle-15. Pedal bar 18 extends thelength of the bottom plate between the rear wheels adjacent the driving wheel and is fulcrumed on two pairs of links 19, 19 and 20, 20 to the upper encls of' which it is pivoted loy rivets.

-a18 and 7218. Two brackets (116, M6 are bent vof links 19 inclined forward.

is engaged up from incisions .niade in plate 16 and to them are pivoted the lower ends of pairs of 7 links 19,.19 and 20,20-byrivets c419, e19 and a2(), (120; Preferably rivets a19and (120 are close together while rivets a18 and 618 are farther apart as shown. I. I r I Coil spring 018 'is engag'ed' for tension between ahook fastened to the front end of plate 16 and in a hole'in the frontendof pedal bar 18- and tends; to hold the front end "(so of the pedal bar adjacent the plate with pair An assembly of spur gear 21 and ratchet Wheel, 23is joined by sleeve 22 and mounted for revolutlon on rear axle15 adjacent the -06 driving wheel with'the ratchet wheel in ratchet housing 25 which is-fastened toplate j2 lon thefinside face ofjthe wheel. Pawl 26 is pivoted to. plate 2 1 within housing 25 and I by ratchet 23 under the reaction. of spring 27 fastenedito the inner wall .of housing 25. *The ratchet and pawl are related tocause engagement'therebetween only when theratchet revolves-to cause forward movement of the vehicle by driving wheel 17 The forward end of rack 28 isfastened to shank 29 which is pivoted to pedal bar'18 by V rivet 518 and the rear end thereof is extended through opening (Z30 in gearhousing 30. The gear housing is mounted on axle 15 which is extended through hole 030 in one side thereof and on sleeve 22 which is extended through I openingb3O in the other side thereof. This mounting of the gear housing allows freedom of oscillation thereof to accommodate the changing inclination of rack 28 as it passes forth andv back through housing opening (Z30 in engagementwith gear 21 from itsfull-line position at 28 to its dotted position at "28 with its upper end pivoted to pedal bar '18. by

rivet 618 which oscillatesin a curved line. the back of rack bar 28 slides on wooden block 31 fastened in the bottom of the housing and its teeth may bear onthe bottoms of guide lugs (Z30, c30 extended. from each edge of the housing above opening-(Z30 therethrough. The construction provides for the retention of rack bar28 in proper engagement with I gear 21 as itreciprocates and oscillates beneaththe samewhen driven by pedal bar 18 causing gear 21 and ratchet wheel 23 to revolve backward and forward respectively free from and engaged by pawl 26 as the rack returns from its lower position at 28 to its higher position at 28 and moves from said higher to said lower position; thus driving wheel 17 forward during each downward oscillation of the pedal bar and returning free from engagement with driving wheel 17 under the reaction of spring 018.

Brake block 32 "is fastened on the lower end of brake lever 33 which is pivoted to lefthandframe bar 7 at 3 1 to dispose the brake block to bear on the tire of vehicle wheel (117 when the lower end of the lever is in its highest position in oscillation on-said pivot. The upper end of :the .brake lever is fastened :to pedal 35 which is extended from beneath bottom :plate 16 through an opening therein and is disposed above the plate within easy reach of the riders left foot. Pressure downwand on pedal 35 causes brake block 3-2ztobear on the tire of wheel (117 to stop vehicle :movement and when pressure is removed therefrom the brake block moves downward by gravity free from contact with the wheel.

In operation: The rider stands on the scooter with his left foot on bottom plate 16 and his right foot bearing on'the rear endof pedal bar 18 and his hands. Downward pressure :on the pedal bar by "his right foot will propel thecar forward. Having completed a downward stroke with his right foot hera'isest'thesame and the pedal bar will follow 'his foot upward under the reaction of spring 018 which was extended by the downward movement of the rear end "thereof. As stated, during the downward movement of the rear end of the pedal bar driving wheel 17 was engaged by the gearand was revolved forward thereby, but during the return, or upward, movement of the rear-end of the pedal bar there is no engagement betweenthe driving gear and the wheel 17 which is free to continue forward revolution during the return movement of the pedal bar. Repeated downward'and return movements of the rear end of the pedal bar, under the urge of the drivers right foot, will continue to propel the vehicle forward while the same may be guided by the hands of "the rider on handle bar 12. When desired, the rider may use hisleft .foot to bear on brake r; pedal 35 and apply the brake to the vehicle.

The disclosed disposition of rack bar 28 beineath gear 21 allows of a greater movement thereof than is usual when the driv-' ing segment moves verticallyalongside of the pinion gear, The disclosed dual fulcrum and link mountingof the pedalloar 18 provides zan eflicient mode of transferring the foot-pressu-re movements into the oscillatory reciprocation of therack bar 28.

Y Gearhousing :30 not only performs the degrasps handle bar 12 withv scribed functions related thereto but also covers the pinion gear from exposure.

When the vehicle is moved backward on its wheels it is retained in a position with driving wheel 17 free from contact with the the pedal bar distant'from the end link and pivoted to the scooter body adjacent to the end link, and .a tension .springconnected to the fulcrum end of the pedal bar and to the scooter body.

2. In a scooter, a pedal .bar having a fulcru'm end and a pedal end, an end link pivoted tothe fulcrum end of the pedalbar and (to the scooter body, another link longer than the end link pivoted :to the pedal bar distant from the end link and pivoted to the scooter body adjacent .theend:link,-and a ten sion spring connected vto the fulcrum end of the pedal bar and to the scooter body.

8. In a scooter, .a pedal bar having a fulcrum end and a pedal end, an end pair of links pivoted together to the fulcrum-end of the pedal bar and pivoted apart to thescooter :body, another :pair of links pivoted together to the pedal bar distant from the-end links and-pivoted apart to the scooter body :adijacent the end links, and .a tension spring connected to the fulcrum endof the pedal leyer and to the scooter body.

4.. Ina scooter, a pedal bar having-a fulcrum end and a pedal end, an end link piv-- oted to the fulcrum end of the pedal bar and to the scooter body, another link pivoted to the pedal bardistantfrom theend link and to the scooter body adjacent the end link,

a tensionspringiconnected to the fulcrum end 1 of the pedal bar-and to thescooter body, and :a toothederack bar one end of which is pivoted to the pedal bar.

5. In a scooter, a pedal bar having a fulcrum end and a pedal end, an :end link piv- :oted to the fulcrum end of the pedal bar and {to the scooter body,

another link pivoted to the pedal ,bar distant fromthe end link and to the scooter body adjacent theend link,

a tensionspring connected to the fulcrum end of the pedal bar and to thescooter body,

and a bar havinga toothed rack on one side thereof, one end of which is pivoted to the said pedal bar.

6. A driving gear assembly of a power scooter including :apedal bar having a fillcrum end and a pedal end, links pivoted at the fulcrum end of the pedal bar and to the scooter body to mount the pedal bar for oscillative reciprocation, :a tension spring connecting the fulcrum end of the pedal bar with the scooter body, the rear axle of the scooter fastened to the body thereof, a pinion gear mounted on the rear axle for revolution, a driving Wheel mounted on the rear axle for revolution, a toothed rack pivoted to the pedal bar extended in a slideway disposed beneath the pinion gear to engage therewith,

said slideway adaptedto guide thetoothed rack v in operative engagement with the pinion gear mounted on the rear axle for oscillation, and means to engage the pinion gearwith the driving Wheel for forward driving of the wheel only. I l/VILLIAM V. VAN ETTEN. I 

